Syphon Filter 2

Almost everyone knows Eidetic's rags-to-riches, Horatio Alger story. The little-known developer hooked up with 989 Studios to make one of the biggest sensations on PlayStation in 1999, Syphon Filter. The game used just about every bit of PlayStation's engine, and brought gamers an intense, non-stop action alternative to Metal Gear Solid's story-heavy gameplay.

Now, one year later, Syphon Filter 2 hits the streets, and our expectations are higher. The sequel follows the footsteps of its the original, with several minor improvements, a few large additions, and a brand new story starring Gabriel Logan and his accomplice, Lian Xing. Players get more clever enemies, who can take head shots at you; players get more save points per level, making the game easier; there are more weapons, a two-player mode that's a whole lot of fun, and two alternating characters to control, instead of one.

So, with all that added into the mix, shouldn't this be better than Metal Gear Solid?

Gameplay The short answer is no. Syphon Filter 2 is a classic American sequel. The Eidetic team added in everything it wanted to put in the first but didn't have the time or resources for, it tweaked some of the gameplay, and made more levels. But in essence, SF2 is more of the same. In all that it's good, but it's no longer the fresh, new concept it once was, and it's by no means a revolutionary step.

But let me be honest. I was extremely hooked with the first. I loved it, and I have been anxiously awaiting this sequel. Just like anyone else who loved SF, I was more than happy to play a sequel with more of the same gameplay, as long as that meant better gameplay. Eidetic delivers better gameplay, and a two-player deathmatch that's far more fun than I thought it would be.

What Syphon Filter did so well was deliver a wide range of creative levels and mission objectives. In SF2, there are a handful of sections that demonstrate Eidetic hasn't lost any of that expertise. Just like the first, almost every level requires you to act in a completely different way, solve a completely different set of tasks, or kill some one in an entirely new fashion. The breadth of levels, mixed with constantly changing objectives, create a sense of commitment in the player, and push him or her into playing just "one more mission."

In the first mission, Gabe faces off against a bunch of enemies who have stormed a rocky mountainside, and trapped you and a few team members. They're sharpshooters, who can take you out with headshots. You have to pick them off, but you've got to surprise them from behind, and use grenades to start it off. It's a lot of fun. In that same level, baddies with parachutes drop down from the sky like quiet killer birds, and you can shoot them down before they land, but there are so many of them, it's a overwhelming.

In another level, you're simply out-gunned and out-manned. You and your associate have only one gun and you're trapped in a cul-de-sac. You need to somehow stay alive, pass through the only exit out, a tunnel, past a storm of enemies, and get to the bridge, but you need to get back to your associate before he runs out of ammo. In the first segment of this, a mix of stealth, smart use of weapons, and timing get you out of the situation. You still have to use your brain, but a lot of pinpoint shooting comes into play, too.

Later on in that same level, your mission is to beat the clock, and save a bridge from getting blown to smithereens. You have to figure out a way to kill a sergeant, who's standing next to his assistant, without letting the assistant know you've done it. Figuring out this part of the game was literally one of the greatest gaming moments I have ever felt. I realized then that I was playing a killer new game.

I only wished that moment were repeated more often. Perhaps the biggest letdown with Syphon Filter 2 is there are fewer moments of greatness. With a few exceptions, most of the gameplay is entirely familiar, and not only familiar, but simplistic. In some cases, the cut-scenes emphasize the simplicity of gameplay itself. In what seemed like every other cut-scene following a level, Gabe escapes from a major explosion or disaster in a fleeting last-ditch effort that always succeeds. In one situation, he is blown off a bridge with no way out. You see a helicopter aiming missiles at him and he jumps off, somehow surviving the situation. In another, he jumps from a crashing train onto a helicopter. It's ridiculous.

What happened? Basically, the fun runs out. SF2 was compelling for about nine levels, and then it just gets diabolically repetitive. The cool scenarios become laborious. The AI gets tougher, the levels become more harried, and the steps you take to overcome the odds appear more and more transparent. More of the same becomes irritating. The new weapons (25 in total), all of which make for a great new sense of power, unfortunately don't really make up for the methodical latter levels.

Perhaps part of the reason is due to the story. It requires no brain activity. It's like a C+ movie script. The story picks up where the first Syphon Filter left off. Lian (Gabe's partner) has contracted the Syphon Filter virus, and the devious corporation behind the poison still exists, this time with bigger plans to create viral terror all over the world. All throughout the game, the objective is to obtain the antidote and save Lian, while clamping down on the sinister corporation's efforts to smear Gabe's name and save the world. Sounds pretty cool, but it's simply amazing how long Lian lives, with this terrible virus living inside her. Near the end of the game, you simply can't believe she's still alive.

What's more, the dialog isn't an improvement over the original in any way. Ninety percent of the dialog is like this, "Gabe, here's the deal, you must go XXXX, and watch out for YYY, you'll somehow have to get the BBBB, and make it out without he FFFF seeing you." "Roger, LLLL. But I'm the almighty Gabe. You take care of the KKKK, and I'll take care of the RRRRR, I have a little DDDD for those FFFKKKKs." In other words, it doesn't matter what the dialog is, it's pure filler.

Some things didn't change at all in Syphon Filter 2. Namely, the way Gabe runs, up-close fights, and trial-and-error style play. Gabe still runs like he's wearing Pampers. What's with that? Are his hips just wider than the regular man's? Whatever it is, it needs to stop, because it's the first thing you notice, and it's absurd looking. Close up fights are lame. Come up close to someone to take his or her head off, and you miss. What's that all about? And I think I've beaten the trial-and-error gameplay thing hard enough here -- you should get the point by now.

If you got tired of the game like I did, perhaps the best reason to buy Syphon Filter 2 is to play the two-player game. It would have been great if this could have been four-player, but two-player gameplay is surprisingly fun. For those of you who don't play multiplayer PC games, you're going to really love these death-matches. The gameplay is exactly like that in the single-player game, except one small change. You are fighting against a real person, which makes all the difference.

Again, the level design helps to make these deathmatch battles near brilliant. In several levels, we found secret areas and weapons in them that provided an advantage over the opponents. Plus, you get a killer assortment of weapons, such as the grenade launcher, which dusts your opponent instantly. Headshots play a huge part in who gets the upperhand.

Graphics Visually, SF2 has improved in a few ways. First off, the game looks sharper. It appears be in a medium-high resolution, which sharpens the edges of every object, and makes those oft-times blocky shapes look cleaner and crisper. The color palette looks much better, too. You never seem to see the same level twice. Although in at least one level, in which you must recover secret files from a crashed helicopter, the entire set of colors amounts to a big fat swath of orange. It looks a little too orange, in fact. So orange it's like being on the set of HR Puff N Stuff. Surreal.

The first game enabled you to plod through several pitch-dark areas, and I'm glad to say there are almost no sections like this here. Instead, you are sire to grab a night-vision helmet and watch everything blurry and in black and green. It's sort of like taking a really strong depressant. Fun for a while.

The in-game cut-scenes serve the same purpose as they once did. They tell the story in between each level. They still don't show people's faces very well (in fact, no one really has a face), and they're still rather rudimentary.

As for the frame rate, it's essentially the same. It looks like it's running a solid 25-28 frames per second most of the time. Of course, it slows down when more than three people are on screen, but it's still good enough not to complain about.

Sound I have nothing bad to say about the music. Several tunes are recognizable from the first, and the mix of synth and rock blend together to create good atmosphere and adrenaline-pumping tension. Not great, but not terrible. The voices, on the other hand, are trully awful. For some, this matches the B-movie quality of the original (hearing the Russian femme fatale, with her fall-down funny fake accent, is like hearing Schwarzenegger speak for the first time). Maybe I'll leave it at that. It's really messy, but I guess that's part of the 989 charm.

The Verdict

The old cliche holds true here -- if you loved the first, you'll love the second. But just beware of what you ask for. SF2 is more of the same, greater levels, more simplistic story, more trial-and-error gameplay. And despite all of those problems, the game is still near great. The two-player mode, in my mind, is a killer addition, and is equal, if not better, than the deathmatch levels in Medal of Honor.

My biggest disappointment with SF2 is that once I reached the ninth level, I simply didn't care to finish the game (of course I did finish it). But I was dulled by repetition, and while I wish I weren't, it happened. So, would I would buy the game? Absolutely. It satisfies that primal videogame urge to sneak around and snipe enemies, or to simply blow them away. It's still a great action game.